Tonight, he worked his magic again. No longer did I want to avoid my condo. Instead, I looked forward to crawling into my bed. Nova had left her mark in every room at the condo.
Eventually, she’d spend the night. The condo building wasn’t trashy. I could make sure it was safe for the girls. I bet they’d like the pool and courtyard. The girls would also go nuts over Beef Jerky.
Clint decided to ride home with me. We considered hanging out, but both of us wanted to call it a night. The sooner we woke up, the sooner we’d see our women again.
NOVA
Lyric and I were talking to Pax in the backyard when Dan and Lula arrived home from their mini honeymoon. I had been stressing my brother’s return.
Dan struggled to see me as a fully functioning adult. He left South Dakota when I was young, only to return years later when I needed saving. Adding a layer of guilt over my shooting kept Dan blind to the real me.
My brother exited the house, wearing his favorite cowboy hat. Lyric told Pax goodbye and then ran for her uncle.
“You came back!” she cried dramatically.
“Don’t let your brother bully you,” Pax muttered to me. “Older brothers think they know shit, but they’re just jealous of our youth.”
With that statement, Pax strutted back toward his house. I walked to Dan, who held Lyric.
“No, I didn’t swim in the pool,” he told her. “I mostly spent time in the room with Lula.”
“Did you play?” Lyric asked as she touched the rim of his hat.
Dan grinned at me. “Oh, yeah.”
Sharing his smile, I said, “I’m glad you had fun.”
“Did you have fun on your date?”
Flashing him a grin like he did me, I replied, “Oh, yeah.”
“Really?” he balked. “Already?”
“I’ve known Boone almost as long as you’ve known Lula.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Why?
Lula appeared and stroked his back. “Before you say something unenlightened, let’s make dinner plans.”
“Mom didn’t eat dinner last night,” Lyric said as she still fiddled with Dan’s hat. “She starved.”
I shook my head before Dan could find out more. “Elle and Zodiac babysat last night, didn’t they?”
Lyric smiled at me. “I felt her monster baby move. Its name is Tent, and I think it’ll eat me when it comes out.”
Ignoring her war with Zodiac, I focused on Lula. “You look happy.”
“I am,” she said and waved at her dad sitting on the back porch next door. “I learned a lot about Dan at the hotel.”
“Like what?”
“He’s a good tipper.”
“Is that code for something?”
“No,” Dan grumbled. “I just give good tips. Nothing more.”
